B.G. Knocc Out & Dresta - Real Brothas (Def Jam/Outburst Records - August 15, 1995)

In the early 90s, hip hop had evolved from an innocent art form that was mostly either banal emcee shit-talking or serious conscious views on urban communities in the United States dealing with drugs and street violence, to more hardcore forms dealing with gangster topics such as homicide, petty crime, police brutality, drug use, and other issues that were directly affecting inner city communities; with that came the N.W.A. I assume that a lot of you know the story; they successfully released their opus, Straight Outta Compton in 1988 to strong success, and heavy controversy. Eventually, heavy infighting between the members lead to the group being disbanded over payment.

By 1992, beef was in full swing. Dr. Dre went full on after his former record, Ruthless, and made a complete mockery of his former bandmate Eazy-E on national television via the music video for "Fuck Wit Dre Day". Of course, Eazy-E responded with his own, even more visceral diss track, "Real Muthaphuckkin G's", which featured our soup of the day, B.G. Knocc Out & Dresta, who actually did a real good job at taking down Dr. Dre in that song.

As the years passed, and the New York hip hop scene saw a revival, as well as upcoming rap scenes from many other cities taking swing at the boon of hip hop, those said merry weed carriers got a record deal of their own, however this time on Def Jam, with Def Jam looking to rebuild itself, having successfully striking gold with Warren G, and signing another West Coast stalwart in Jayo Felony as well. In 1995, in response to some serious heat from Death Row, B.G. Knocc Out and Dresta released their first (and only) album as a duo. It went on to enjoy moderate success, although gets rather forgotten in a time period (1992-1996) which brought us some really, and I mean really, good albums. Is this underratedness justified, though? Let's find out.

1. EVERYDAY ALL DAY - Our voyage into the magnum opus known as Real Brothas starts off with Everyday All Day, a statement track which states the goals of our hosts. Our hosts waste no time when starting off; there are a number of disses towards the Death Row camp, and warnings about trying to step up to BG and Dresta. Our beat, curtosey of Madness 4 Real and Dr Jam, is fast paced, with the boogie elements used very well to create a catchy, knocking and energetic beat. Dresta's flow is very clean throughout, and absolutely rips shit throughout. Not a bad way to start off, not at all.

2. JEALOUSY (FEAT. MO) - BG and Dresta this time around rap about how their own homies seemingly can't respect what they've earned, and how every man, woman, and child on every corner turns into an enemy, hellbent on stealing our hosts wealth. Madness 4 Real and Doctor Jam collaborate again, this time for a synthesizer and bass heavy beat, which isn't anything too special or original, but for what it's worth, it's pretty good. Our hosts again are on point, and are able to ride out the beat throughout, and stay on point.

3. WHOSE THE G - This time around we have a BG-only track; I assume Dresta was stuck in the infamous SoCal traffic on his way to work, and therefore couldn't appear. Vic C goes behind the board this time, and the instrumental here again kicks fucking ass; the synth used just creeps through your ears, and sticks with you even after you're done, haunting you in your nightmares. Dresta's braggadocio of being the master gangster throughout the Compton hoods is straight through. Yet another strong track.

4. COMPTON SWANGING (FEAT. LA TEE) - I hate this track with a fiery passion. It's another track that blatantly and shamelessly jacks Kool and the Gang's "Hollywood Swinging", and honestly, I've never seen ANY song able to use this sample well; not Too $hort, not Mack 10, not anyone. It's just one of those songs that honestly can't really be sampled without being too obvious. Oh well, they can't all be winners.

5. LIFE'S A PUZZLE (FEAT. L.V. & LA TEE) - Our hosts step back from the usual Compton gang-banging and create a track that was probably an attempt to garner widespread airplay. Charlie B's beat is soft, and it sort of sounds like generic G-funk piffle. Our hosts rap about the enduring puzzles of life, and how unfairly, and cruelly, bad it gets, presumably something to do with the number 42. Overall, I thought this track was all right, but nothing incredibly special.

6. B.G. KNOCC OUT - Charlie B is behind the boards again and delivers a syntesizer-heavy beat; our proceedings here are predictably a tribute to B.G. K-O, a tribute that comes off as mostly meh. The lyrics honestly aren't anything I haven't heard, and I've heard better beats.

7. Compton Hoe - A song dedicated to prostitutes, swingers, sex parties, and men who whore themselves in order to get laid. No seriously, listen carefully to Dresta's first verse; hell, even in the second-verse, he calls himself a "bonafide hoe", so maybe this song is Dresta's aspiration to become like Casanova. BG Knocc Out is cockblocked to the chorus from this massive orgy, which samples The Honey Drippers' "Impeach the President", like that hasn't been done a million times before, though our beat lacks any sort of chipmunk; mind you, it's not a bad beat, either. Overall, a decent song.

8. Micc Checc - Madness 4 Real and Doctor Jam deliver another beat, one that is a pretty minimalist effort, with original guitar and bass done by Mike "Crazy Neck" Sims; as minimal as it is, it creates a strong earworm, a beat that just slowly builds in your mind with creepiness and grimness. Our hosts here talk about revenge killings in the CPT, in which Dresta takes time to talk about his deceased brother as well. Overall, another solid effort.

9. Compton & Watts - A Rhythum D production here; Dresta here actually take time to call out the phonies in their neighborhood, as well as claiming fake rep, presumably Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg, although no one is ever called out by name. I assume BG was on his lunch break at Del Taco, and Dresta's 15 minutes of fame are pretty short anyway, without a whole lot of substance either way. Not awful, but not memorable.

10. 50/50 Luv - Another Rhythum D production which is actually quite smooth and clean. Our hosts rap about nostalgic days before gang violence became epidemic as it did, as well as reminiscing about simpler days without violence or gang rivalries. Our guests' verses actually manage to stay on point, and unlike many songs of this type, it actually keeps an organic Compton sound without appeasing to a wider audience. A great track, and understandably why this was released as the first single off the album.

11. Real Brothas - Fucking awesome. That's all. Wait, I have to write about the song? Let's start with the beat; Rhythum D drops another bomb here, which just infects your brain with the funk. The synthesizer is just so damn catchy that you just can't help but move to it. Both of our hosts deliver a hell of an emotional performance; rapping from deep feelings about the struggle to their hopes to become a successful rap duo. Hands down, this is the best song of the entire album. Why this wasn't released as a single is beyond me.

12. Do or Die - Charlie B is behind the boards again; even though he was responsible for the 3 weaker tracks on here, he redeems himself nicely again with a very tragic-sounding synthesizer heavy beat that just puts you into the South Central hoods at sunset. This time it's a BG Knocc Out solo, with Dresta relegated to the hook; Dresta tells a pretty entertaining story about keeping things under control in the hood, which eventually turns into a hit; a very solid track.

13. Take a Ride - Rhythum D is behind the boards again, and producers another funky hood banger; our hosts, likely done with the delirium of hood life featuring homicides, car jackings, studio gangstas and bad traffic, create a track that was instead meant to be banged at a house party, or for that song you play on your way to the prom in order to look cool. For what's it worth, it's pretty damn good as well.

14. Down Goes Another Nigga - Another Rhythum D beat, although honestly compared to his earlier beats this one really isn't as memorable; it feels as if this was created for some Halloween gangsta album that was canned but got rehashed on here. Honestly though, I wasn't really sure what our hosts were rapping about; perhaps our heroes are rapping about a succubus that got loose and killed their homies, and their attempts to eradicate it from their local Compton neighborhood.

15. D.P.G./K - We reach our closer, which was actually the last single released from the album. Our hosts get off some pretty rhymes off, calling out the entire Death Row roster, and accussing them of being phonies, liars, and cheats. Madness 4 Real and Doctor Jam again give us a beat, and a pretty hot track. Also, the music video for this track was hysterical. A good way to strike back against the Death Row camp (a beef that would eventually end up being moot), and a good way to close out our album, and with that, we are done with Real Brothas.

SUMMARY: Real Brothas is straight-up, no frills, authentic, gangsta rap and G-funk. Both Dresta and BG Knocc Out sound solid, crisp, and on-point throughout our whole proceedings; topic wise the album doesn't really have one clear direction; a few songs are about typical gangster rap with your usual hardcore lyrics about the thug life, guns, killings and sets, a few other songs have a softer, mellow approach, and a few aren't really meant to be taken too seriously at all. That's not to detract from the album; even with the various topics at hand, the album is actually a pretty consistent lyrics, thanks to some really kick ass producers behind the board, and actually quite impressive lyricism from our hosts. Even in 2016, this album is still quite an enjoyable listen, and is definitely a West Coast gem.

BUY OR BURN?: Is this even serious? Definitely buy this album! This is probably one of the best releases of 1995, and is constantly criminally underrated. A must-have for any hip hop head. Sadly, this album has almost gone out of print and brand new ones are incredibly expensive, although a quick iTunes purchase is convenient.

BEST TRACKS: "Real Brothas", "Do or Die", "Everyday Allday", "50/50 Luv", "Whose the 'G", "Jealousy"

RBL Posse - A Lesson To Be Learned (In-a-Minute Records, September 16, 1992)

So where do I start here...

The RBL Posse (short for Ruthless By Law; perhaps they declared anarchy) is a relatively underground gangsta rap group hailing from Hunter's Point, San Francisco, and are perhaps maybe the best known rappers from San Francisco, formed by Christian Matthews (Black C), and Kyle Church (Mr. Cee). Ricky Herd (Hitman) would not join until a later date in 1995, therefore fully creating the Three Amigos.

For a while from 1992 until 1995, RBL Posse were making quite a name for themselves in the West Coast; they were not nearly as well known as other famous West Coast stalwarts such as Ice Cube, the rookie of the year at the time Snoop Dogg, or famous worldwide player and ass-shaker Too $hort. However, indie sales regionally were quite impressive, enough to get a deal on Atlantic Records. The RBL Posse had a very distinct sound; it was dark and grimey, yet very distinctly West Coast. It seemed as if the RBL Posse were destined for a blow up nationwide. Unfortunately, this good will would not last long.

On New Year's Day 1996, Mr. Cee was murdered near his home in San Francisco, in an apparent gang beef. Throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s Hunter's Point, San Francisco would be plagued by a number of gang wars and retaliation murders; eventually this reached a boiling point with Hitman being murdered in 2003, leaving only Black C as the survivng member of the RBL Posse; to this day, Black C continues the legacy of the brand, still making solo projects, as well as some weed carrier projects.

I'll go on with the RBL Posse as I progress with their discography; first, let's tackle A Lesson to Be Learned, a gangsta rap album released just before the dawn of Dr. Dre's The Chronic.

1. INTRO (FEAT. HERM LEWIS) - To start off our proceedings, we are hit with a conscious message from apparent SF community leader Herm Lewis, with a "warning" of not letting the album influence one's actions, an apparent retort of N.W.A.'s earlier messages about gangsta rap. I usually wouldn't right so much about an intro, but this feels so unfortunately ironic and out-of place; I'd listen to a preachy album if I needed to. Anyway...

2. I AIN'T NO JOKE - Starts off with a Beastie Boys sample, interestingly enough. The actual beat is pretty simple, primarily utilizing a 80s funk sampled bass, which is pretty catchy, although admittedly sounds slightly dated. Our verses, rapping about the dangers of Hunter's Point and the RBL Posse's rep, are effective enough, if not pedestrian. Overall, a pretty solid way to begin the album.

3. MORE LIKE AN ORGY - As it was a 1990s West Coast album, of course we have a sex rap. At the very least, this is a good sex rap. Black C's beat, again infused with 80s funk bass, as well as a few vocal samples, is catchy as all hell, and you just want to move to it. Lyrically, the Posse is quite descriptive and vivid with an apparent late night party, which the goal of getting sweet, black pussy. In all seriousness, this was a fun listen.

4. DON'T GIVE ME NO BAMMER WEED - The first single off the album, peaking at #16 in the Hot Rap Singles chart. An ode to quality marijuana, Black C and Mr. Cee call out those that fail in giving out good joints, as well as the beautiful effects of cannabis, thus encouraging the use and sharing of quality marijuana throughout the populace. The beat is just smooth as all hell, yet so cheery and peaceful, as if the beat itself was smoking whatever Black C and Mr. Cee brought to work that day. The chorous is goofy as hell, but that's the point. 24 years later it still holds strong.

5. BITCHES ON THE DING DONG - The beat here begins with a drum kick, which kind of reminds me of Havoc's production circa 1993-2000, which would begin with that signature drum kick. But that's the best that can be said here; the beat isn't nearly as catchy as our previous 3 beats, and sort of feels a bit like a mess. The lyrics are mostly just a generic sex rap. Unlike More Like an Orgy, this feels rather forced, and incredibly corny, thus, our first true dud of the album. Also, I wonder if Hostess ever heard this song before.

6. A LESSON TO BE LEARNED - As a general rule, title tracks usually suck, and I'm not a fan of this one; the beat basically follows the trend that Ice Cube started in 1990 of directly jacking beats for songs, so this feels rather unoriginal. Lyrically, the Posse sounds all right; the song is mostly a diss track towards the SFPD, and calling them out for police brutality (which was just as bad of an issue back then, as it is now), and a warning to them about dealing with Hunter's Point's denizens. If this song were over an actual original beat, I probably would've liked this more, but this song feels pretty average.

7. G'S BY THE 1,2,3'S (FEAT. TOTALLY INSANE) - The obligatory weed carrier track; to their credit, Totally Insane (a name I probably won't be writing about too much) manage to hold their own with the rest of the Posse. Yet again we get a pretty simple, yet actually quite smooth and catchy beat. Lyrically, our performers aren't amazing, rapping about living the thug life in the SFC; howver, overall this is another pretty solid track.

8. REMIND ME - Another West Coast track that basically jacks Patrice Rushen's Remind Me, the Posse this time raps about being able to pick up so many girls based on the popularity of the music. While this song isn't the worse, this concept has been done before, and it's been done better. Like with A Lesson to Be Learned, the song follows the Ice Cube created trend of using 2 beats in one song; also, the term "Captain Save a Hoe" seems to have been used here before E-40 made an entire song about that concept, a song that blew up on the entire West Coast and lead to the term being popularized in general.

9. SORTA LIKE A PSYCHO - Both Black C and Mr. Cee vent their frustrations about life and society, and how much they want to go Grand Theft Auto on civilization, and their anger at the system; the song turns into a simple vent into a bit of a story, where our heroes end up shooting civilians out of rage, which is actually pretty seamless. Again, the beat, while simple, is pretty smooth and catchy, so this was an enjoyable listen.

10. A PART OF SURVIVAL - The Posse deliver a pretty serious song about how crime is seriously affecting their community; our hosts deliver some pretty vivid lyrics about what life is like in the Hunter's Point, and how the struggle is seriously affecting them and their community. The beat is a bit too happy and bouncy for the serious and dark subject matter, but it manages to kick ass anyway.

11. OUTRO - An outro dedicated to friends, family members, and those that helped with the creation of the album. And with that, we are done.

SUMMARY: For an underground gangsta rap album that actually did quite well for itself regionally, RBL Posse's A Lesson to Be Learned is actually pretty good, and is a nice West Coast gem. The beats sadly sound a bit dated, and lyrically RBL Posse aren't Geoffrey Chaucer. However, a lot of these tracks actually have a lot of charm to them, which shines through.

BUY OR BURN: You should definitely buy this. While this album is out of print and quite rare, you can find this on iTunes, and you can support the RBL Posse itself through their official website.

BEST TRACKS: "Don't Give Me No Bammer Weed", "More Like an Orgy", "Sorta Like a Psycho", "G's by the 1, 2, 3's"